I am interested in how kids (mine's too young ATM) actually play with things like dollhouses and fisher price little people sets (like farm or city)- things that are sort of blank slates.
Do they make dolls walk around and do things? I have seen some of the little people sets that are just kinda a box with pictures of scenes on the inside and then it comes with pieces- like a cow and a fence. Do the kids set up the pieces and then interact with them in the fake farm or do the pieces get played with elsewhere?
I guess my real question is what role does the backdrop actually play- does it just set the scene and serve as a departure point for imaginative play, or do they actually interact with it.
I am thinking of painting up some playscape kind of scenes for my 14m.o for xmas and was wondering if kids actually play with the background or is it with the objects that come with it. Should I package a painted backdrop thing with some complementary objects or just let him bring pieces (like people and animals) he already has.
mcpforever
10-22-2009, 10:27 AM
At first, it is just about manipulating the objects and toys. For instance, my 15 month old DS drives the cars around, pushes the buttons, puts the pieces together. My 2.5 yo DD, however, sets it up in little scenes and gives names to the people. The people have arguements and make up. They go on trips, etc. The get lost from each other. I am constantly hearing "help help" or "Mommy Mommy" (one of them is called Mommy) while she is playing. She makes the animals eat and play, while the 15mo just wants to push the buttons. The pieces are really the main part that gets played with by both, but the scenes give my 2.5 yo places to go on their trips and things to "buy" (they go shopping). We don't have the dollhouse (yet) but I'm sure that my DD would put them to bed in the bedroom, feed them in the kitchen, and put them on the potty in the bathroom. DS might do the same, but more in imitation at this point than imaginative play.
HadassahSukkot
10-22-2009, 12:15 PM
^^ ditto to the PP. I remember playing with the little people sets and barbies and such exactly that way. :D
My brother just took them and would play seperately, and us girls had a field day playing with the entire scene and home, etc and jumping off from there.
I don't have anything like that for our little guy, but he has started taking out the little people from his Duplo set (he has a few new pieces and the stuff from the 80s), and will walk them along the floor or whatever and fly them around... or teethe on them. I have to really watch him about that... but he has fun and I noticed he does talk to them a bit.
tazzae
10-22-2009, 12:17 PM
My dd has always been most interested in the people figures. She does not watch TV or read books with these particular figures; so she makes up the names and stories behind each character. We did have a roller coaster that she played with some--but honestly she used it only as a springboard for her own stories. We try to stay away from toys with batteries. In my experience these tend to be less open-ended, so we don't have any other playsets (just people).
katesmash
10-22-2009, 12:50 PM
My DD has the Little People doll house at our place, and is constantly playing with it (and includes many other little toys in her play, like her rubber ducks etc :giggle: ) and lately she's been "talking" and playing and making it look like she's really making them do things... right now her favorite is to open and close the door and make them go in and out of the house .
doodah
10-22-2009, 09:10 PM
I have to add that in general, girls seem into pretend play at a much earlier age than boys. My 22 month old sets out all the pieces, organizes everything, talks to them and rearranges them for hours. The boys I know her age rarely will sit down and do something like this. The exception might be a train set or race car track where there is more action to the set versus thinking up something on your own. What about painting roads, etc. on something flat so he can vroom his cars around on it?
joslin
10-23-2009, 08:57 AM
thanks everyone, i am so at a loss for predicting how he will "play" in the future, a track for his cars is a great idea, and maybe some obstacles and a mountain.
mcpforever
10-23-2009, 09:20 AM
thanks everyone, i am so at a loss for predicting how he will "play" in the future, a track for his cars is a great idea, and maybe some obstacles and a mountain.
As they get older (like 4 and up for my DS1) it is more about having the parts of the scene to manipulate and set up than the interaction of the cars, people, animals. My 7.5 YO still likes to build tracks (either wooden train tracks or making dents in the carpet) and set up obstacles for his vehicles to traverse. He went through a period where all his cars and trains talked to each other and crashed into each other. Now it's more about putting it all together for him. I'm pretty sure in a couple more years it will be about the whole thing and we will have little soldiers staging for historical battles and snipers in strange places all over the house.
